


The Hollow Gem

by Sevenscorpions



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Episode: s03e24 Bismuth, Gem War, How Bismuth Got Bubbled, One Shot, it's complicated - Freeform, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:51:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7736686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sevenscorpions/pseuds/Sevenscorpions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bismuth confronts Rose Quartz about her reaction to the new weapon she created.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hollow Gem

 

Though the air shimmered with heat, Rose Quartz’s expression was perfectly clear. Against the deep red of the walls of the Forge, she was ghostly pale, but no less intimidating. 

 

“I can’t let you do this, Bismuth.”

 

“Do what? Save us? Defend us? What are we supposed to do, Rose? They won’t hesitate to destroy us, not as long as there’s a gem left to try. We can’t keep living like this, constantly afraid! They outnumber us by the thousands. This might be the only chance we’ll get.”

 

For a fleeting moment, Rose saw fear turn the strong, powerful gem before her into someone she had never seen before. Someone desperate. Bismuth clasped the Breaking Point to her chest in an almost childlike manner, clinging to what must have seemed like a last chance of survival. Her eyes were wild, her mouth twitching. 

 

“If we… kill them, we’ll be stepping down to their level.”

 

“This is war- we have to do what is necessary to make it through. Why should we care about them? You remember what it’s like there. Hundreds of millions of us, replicated and reeducated and disposable. We mean nothing to them, unless we can serve our purpose. Why should they mean anything to us?"

 

“You don’t understand-“ Rose reached out her hand, but Bismuth turned away.

 

“Don’t tell me what I do and do not understand. You are the one who doesn’t seem to get it. You keep us around, your play pretend army, and then when you’re given something that can turn the tide and save this planet, you hand it back because it goes against your morals? I thought you cared about this planet- about life, about _our lives_.”

 

As she spoke she grew more and more furious. Rose couldn’t help but brace for what she assumed would be an inevitable argument. Bismuth didn’t even notice. As her temper rose, the magma of the forge bubbled with a heightened fervor, echoing the raw emotion she felt coming to the surface. She had always wanted to be the strong one; ignoring the disagreements she had with Rose made it easier for them to get along. She really, truly wanted to believe that Rose was what the other gems believed her to be. And yet, the more they spoke the more Bismuth began to see through the cracks in Rose’s facade.

 

To the rest of the crystal gems, Rose was a savior. She swooped in, changed their lives, and handed them a better future on a silver platter. It felt like the wide expanses of their lives had been altered forever- there was Before and After Rose. While Bismuth was thankful for the freedom that never would have been possible without her, she still felt cheated by the fact that she could no longer idealize her leader. Living on Earth wasn't easy, and for the first time Rose was something other than perfect- she was like them. Just an ordinary gem, trying to do extraordinary things. Of course, Bismuth would never have voiced her feelings of discomfort with Rose's refusal to directly attack Homeworld, but tensions had been growing as the war continued. There had been constant internal scuffles and disputes over leadership in the event of the capture of Rose, and then slowly acclimating recruits to accepting multi-type gem fusions. Rose was starting to panic, and finally confided in Bismuth. When she had finally had a breakthrough and designed the ultimate weapon, she expected Rose to be proud. Instead, she was disgusted. 

 

“How can we claim to value life on this or any planet if we kill our own kind? The ends do not always justify the means. This weapon isn’t just dangerous- it’s irresponsible. If one should fall into the hands of the enemy and be replicated, we will have no defense.”

 

“How long will it take for you to see that we have no chance without a weapon like this? _How many of us have to die before you understand_?”

 

Rose had no response but to draw her sword and enter her fighting stance. She did so with a cold acceptance, as if there was nothing else she could do.  Bismuth froze, unsure if she had said something wrong or if Rose had simply tired of discussing the subject any further. There was no negotiating with someone who didn’t want to listen to reason. Instead of asking questions, she silently walked to her weaponry chest and locked the Breaking Point away where Rose couldn’t destroy it.

 

The first blow landed on Bismuth’s shoulder. The blade would have cleanly sliced through any other gem’s form, but Rose hadn’t seen her harden her skin into solid metal. Although it did not cause her any pain, she was stunned that Rose had taken the initiative and started the duel. She did think it was odd that Rose overlooked that technique. She used it regularly on the battlefield. Had she not been paying attention when they sparred? Or did she just not care? Why waste the effort and the energy on an attack that you knew would fail?

 

By the time she realized it was a distraction, the boulder had pinned her left arm to the ground. Rose darted from side to side like a feather, effortlessly avoiding each move Bismuth attempted with her right while simultaneously ripping apart the stone training dummies and throwing them. Once she wrestled her arm out from under the boulder, it was still almost impossible to hit her. She was barely using her sword, instead dodging attacks with the use of her shield. Then without any warning, she stopped. The battle ceased, if just for a moment. They stood opposite each other, staring at the crumbling rock and broken bits of wall around them. Bismuth could have hit her just then, but it wouldn’t have been right. Their brief scuffle had barely scratched the surface of what was wrong.

 

“Do you really think this will solve anything? Fighting me won’t change the fact that we’re trapped.”

 

“I’m sorry, Bismuth. I have to do this.”

 

“You always say that. You always tell us that you have to do these things as if they’re the only option. You’re so focused on the now that you don’t even consider what will happen in the future. Ask Garnet, ask Sapphire, ask any of them. You make decisions for us without thinking about what we want.”

 

“Leading isn’t easy. I make the choices I make for the good of the Crystal Gems and for Earth. You don’t have to agree with me."

 

“Shouldn’t leaders represent the people they lead?”

 

“I am representing us.”

 

“No, no way. You’re representing you. We’re not martyrs like you, Rose. We want to live. We want to be free. Don’t we deserve that?”

 

“Of course you do. But you don’t deserve to live with the guilt of thousands of lives taken.”

 

“If we don’t take some lives, we won’t have any of our own left. What’s the point of this useless argument? We have the same fight, over and over and we never get anywhere. I can’t take it anymore! Just let me show you, one battle, and you’ll see how much we can do. Please.”

 

Rose sighed. Slowly and carefully she picked her way across the rubble on the floor and sat down next to where Bismuth was standing. She was doing her best to appear non-confrontational, but Bismuth was unsure. Rose was obviously in no hurry, and after a few minutes of silence she sat down, wrapped her arms around her knees, and tried to find the right words to say to the gem who only a few minutes ago was lobbing rocks at her. Rose looked eerily calm. She was completely unscathed with each hair and ruffle in place, but her gaze was distant and empty. There was never any use wondering what she was thinking. She spoke as if from a script, phrases carefully chosen and humor in just the right places. It left many with the feeling that they were speaking to a recording. Only a few gems had the honor of fusing with her and seeing the true Rose, and it would have been rude to intrude on such an intimate relationship. It wasn’t her, well, bismuth. 

 

Once it was obvious that Rose wasn’t planning on attacking again, Bismuth allowed herself to sit at a distance from her. Twice she opened her mouth, about to say something, and twice she reconsidered. She wondered if this fight had been genuine. If Rose hadn’t called a cease fire, would she have actually attempted to hurt her?

 

“Rose… I want to trust you. I want to believe in you, but… I don’t know if I can anymore. You never really talk to us, except to give us speeches and keep up morale. I feel like I don’t know you as anything other than a general or a soldier.”

 

Rose looked saddened, but unsurprised. She finally turned her glance towards Bismuth. For all her size and strength, she seemed childlike. She was powerful, a result of her careful design and upbringing on Homeworld, but she was capable of immense gentility and precision. She was a valuable member of the Crystal Gems, and a dear friend- but she was impulsive and almost too passionate. She rarely took the time to consider the consequences of her actions, and though she meant well, she had the potential to cause great damage. 

“Bismuth, I can’t force you to trust me. I know the circumstances of our creation make it incredibly difficult to step outside our given role, and form strong trust with others. It’s true, I have kept our relationship relatively distant. But I do so because I know that some of you won’t make it out of this war. Getting attached… it’s dangerous. But enough about that. You have a gift- your weapons have benefited the Crystal Gems in ways that you cannot yet comprehend. You are a pillar of strength for us! Please, don’t use this strength in ways that you will regret.”

 

“Please don’t think I am betraying you. I owe you so much, that’s why I’m trying to help. I want there to be a future for the Crystal Gems- for my friends.”

 

“I don’t think you’re betraying me,” Her voice was soft and melancholy. “I think you don’t know how thin of a line we’re walking.”

 

Bismuth struggled to keep her emotions in check, but instead of yelling she forced herself to reply calmly.

 

“I know exactly how thin the line is. It’s thin enough that we’re being forced to take sides.”

 

Pondering this, they lapsed into silence. The magma continued to bubble, casting a dull light on the room. Their shadows, blurry and still, stretched across the floor until they overlapped in front of Bismuth’s weapon chest. She thought about the contents of the chest, and trailed her grey fingers through the lava as if it were water.  Although the Breaking Point was heavy and unwieldy, it had felt small in her arms. Days of hard work had culminated in her magnum opus, a creation that would end the war and save the lives of countless gems from the corrupt leadership of the Diamonds. It combined the agility of a spear with the raw power of an engine- a weapon of mass destruction. When she emerged from the Forge, covered in soot and ash, she immediately rushed to give Rose the good news; there was finally hope. 

 

Hope, however, came with the obvious setbacks. It wasn’t as if Bismuth hadn’t given the issue some thought. She was opposed to shattering innocent gems, but this weapon was not for subduing the innocent- it was for protecting them. Now that the Crystal Gems had the means to defeat their enemy, they could plan to use it effectively and ethically. Only the gems who absolutely deserved shattering would be destroyed. Rose had known the purpose of the Breaking Point the moment she laid eyes on it. Intuition had told her enough. 

 

“I wish it wasn’t necessary.” Her thoughts scattered, interrupted by Rose's voice. She turned, and tried to see her face through the curtain of curly hair that obscured it.

 

“We don’t get to sit by this time and pretend that we have a choice. Whether or not we like it, we have to take sides. Which side are you on, Rose? Ours? Or-”

 

Before Bismuth could finish her question, there was a flash of pink light, a stinging pain, and and a sword in her stomach.

 

“I- what? R-rose? Wh-“ She stumbled over her words, too confused to defend herself. Rose released the handle of the sword, and stepped back. The only thought she could muster was that the blade was the best she had ever created. A clean wound. 

 

“I’m sorry, Bismuth. I told you I didn’t want to do this.”

 

“Then why did you?” 

 

The initial shock had dissipated with the sound of her voice. The voice that had led them all to battle, all for her. The voice that she had sacrificed everything for. 

 

“Like you said. We can’t pretend that we have a choice. You’re dangerous, Bismuth.”

 

The pain was spreading, and her form began to flicker and distort. If she was lucky, she could hold it together for another minute, tops. Stunned, she stared openmouthed as Rose walked nonchalantly over to the weapons chest. There was no remorse in her eyes, only a grim determination. How was she so calm? How could she stand there like she hadn’t just attacked her friend?

 

“I can’t let you use this weapon. I can’t let you murder thousands of gems just because you think you have to. We have to make sacrifices to win this war."

 

“So you’ll sacrifice your own to justify a code of ethics you can’t follow yourself? You said killing them would bring us down to their level. Are you just going to pretend you didn’t kill Pink Diamond? You think you fight fair, and then you wait until I let you close to strike. I wanted to talk to you… I thought you didn’t play by their rules.”

 

In a split second, Rose’s expression hardened. If she hadn’t already been stabbed, Bismuth would have been afraid of what she might do. She had seen that look before, but it had never been directed at her. Still, there was no point in being afraid. She had retreated into her gem before, and worst case scenario she would be in trouble when she reformed in a few days. Maybe, after some time alone, she would even be brave enough to bring up the subject again, with a better argument. Right now, however, she was going to use her last few seconds to answer the one question that had been troubling her for so long.

 

“Did you ever really need us? Or did you just need what we could provide for you?”

 

“I needed each and every one of you. I needed you to need me.”

 

“Then you’re exactly like Homeworld. You’re just like them.”

 

And then, there was only the light and the hollow silence.

 

                                                             __________________________________________________________________________

 

Bismuth's gem fell to the floor with a loud clang. Rose scooped it up with both hands, but her calm countenance dissolved into bitterness. She had thought it might come to this, but she was hoping that Bismuth could be reasoned with. Unfortunately, extreme measures had to be taken, and now she had lost her most valuable blacksmith and weapons designer. Once the gem had been safely bubbled, she brought it with her through the hallways of the Forge, now gradually becoming colder and darker as Bismuth's influence faded. Soon, only the light created by the bubble was there to guide her outside to the Warp Pad.

 

It was a shame. To be completely honest, that weapon might have ended the war in an instant, if they could cleanse their consciences and forgive themselves for inflicting some kind of genocide against their own kind. _There had to be another way,_ she thought.  _And until then, I'll keep her safe._ _Somewhere she can't hurt anyone else._

 

_Nobody needs to know._

 

 


End file.
